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A goat is being held in jail at this time. Before getting into details, a quick look into the folklore’s definition may help to quantify other situations a bit more…

….Popular shapeshifting creatures in folklore are werewolves and vampires (mostly of European, Canadian, and Native American/early American origin), the fox spirits East Asia (including the Japanese kitsune), and the gods, goddesses, and demons of numerous mythologies, such as the Norse Loki or the Greek Proteus. It was also common for deities to transform mortals into animals and plants.

So those are a few examples of how widespread the concept has been throughout the world. For many, the belief of such practices have not died, which results in the BBC story below. Profane or sacred? That depends on your point of view….where and when.

Many Nigerians believe that magicians can turn themselves into goats

Police in Nigeria are holding a goat handed to them by a vigilante group, which said it was a car thief who had used witchcraft to change shape. A police spokesman in Kwara State has been quoted as saying that the “armed robbery suspect” would remain in custody until investigations were over.

But another police spokesman told the BBC the goat was being held in case its owner claimed it. The belief in witchcraft and the power to change shapes is common in Nigeria.

Police reform activists have condemned the “arrest”, saying it highlights the low education levels of many Nigerian police officers.

Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper has a picture of the goat and reports that police paraded it in front of journalists in the Kwara state capital Ilorin on Thursday.

But this was denied by national police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu. “The vigilante group arrested the goat and took it to the police, then they told the media.” The next morning journalists turned up demanding to see the goat, he said.